There’s only a week to go before you make that move into a new home, and you drive by the nearly completed house to check progress.
The house looks good, but where are all the trees and shrubs?
In some new home developments, landscaping often is low on the list of priorities — for the builder and the buyers. This is particularly true in homes priced for first- and second-time buyers.
Often, builders are focusing on construction of the basic house and buyers are stretching their finances just to afford it. Besides, why not upgrade the kitchen before worrying about the yard?
While landscaping is an option that can be completed after you move in, there are important benefits to focusing on it while the house is being built.
“It’s nice to have lots of greenery and flowers in your yard when you first move,” said Mary Jo Haas, director of sales and marketing for The Lakelands Club in Plainfield. “Usually you move into a new home and have dinky bushes and you have to wait three or four years for them to take off.”
The Lakelands Club is situated on a lake (of course), and the landscaping is designed to orient homes to the water and enhance the views.
Aside from shrubs and trees, there are decorative retaining walls, prairie grasses near the shore and stepping stones between the houses to encourage people to walk down to the water, Haas said. Homes are priced from $450,000 to $1 million and more.
Buyers who want to tweak the landscaping plan can do so, as long as the desired changes are in harmony with the surroundings.
Plantings that would block a neighbor’s view of the water, for example, might not be allowed.
“We left planting areas for homeowners, so if they want a vegetable garden or a different flowering garden they can add it,” Haas said.
Some Chicago-area builders focus more on landscaping than others, whether for competitive reasons, zoning requirements, the characteristics of the property, or a personal love of nature.
Even those who don’t make landscaping a selling point are usually willing to add a few extra shrubs.
Chestnut Homes includes $3,500 to $5,000 in landscaping in its homes, such as Chestnut Ridge in Minooka, according to Cindy Cook, the company’s director of sales and marketing.
The landscaping package includes sod in the entire yard, plus trees, bushes and some perennials. Single-family homes in the development are priced from $166,990.
“Usually landscaping is a home buyer’s last concern because they spend a lot of money on other upgrades,” she said. “This way people have a complete package when they move in and they don’t have to go out and mulch and plant.”
Some builders include only the basics — sod in the front yard, grass seed in the back, one or two small trees, and four to six shrubs around the front entrance. Regardless of the builder’s standard landscaping package, there are ways to boost your home’s landscaping appeal.
When shopping for houses, ask each builder’s representative for details on the landscaping package.
What types of plantings does it include? How large are the trees and shrubs? Can you add in your own plantings or change the size of the trees and shrubs?
When considering how much to spend on landscaping before you move in, think about the pros and cons of asking the builder or a landscaper to work on the yard. The biggest concern for many is the cost.
Evergreen trees that are three to four feet high can range from $50 to $125 each at a local nursery. Add in the cost to plant them and the price could double.
As you consider your landscaping goals, look first to your lifestyle.
“If you have [young] children, are you going to need a designated area for a swing set? Or are you an empty-nester who does a lot of entertaining and who needs a bigger patio?” said Steve Welter, a landscape architect with Martin Design Partnership in Batavia, which worked on The Lakelands Club landscaping.
Don’t think of landscaping as mere decoration. Those who want plenty of privacy might add groups of tall evergreens to screen them from their neighbors. Those who want more interaction with the neighbors would opt for smaller shrubs grouped around walkways that are designed to invite people into the yard.
Those who are buying homes with views of a golf course, pond or forest preserve also should take a different approach to landscaping. The overall design of the yard must be oriented toward those features to enhance the view, Welter said.
Always take into consideration the time you have for maintenance when planning your landscaping. Hobbyist gardeners obviously will want more planting space than those who prefer a low maintenance yard with more evergreen trees and shrubs.
If you really hate mowing the lawn, consider establishing a natural prairie area in place of some of the grass.
Adding landscaping while the house is being built gives the place immediate curb appeal.
Instead of having a big house surrounded by grass and tiny shrubs, you can create a more established look where the house and yard flow together. A few four-foot trees along the front and side yard, five or more shrubs near the front walk and a curved flower bed by the front stoop will make a world of difference.
Regardless of how much landscaping you add before you move in, the key is to have an overall plan. This will allow you to add to greenery in stages and maintain a cohesive look.
Landscapers recommend planting large trees — or those that will become large one day — first, followed by shrubs, then flower beds.
If you plan to add a patio or deck later, leave that area open or use it for the children’s wading pool this year to avoid having to transplant shrubs later.
Also consider what parts of the yard you use most frequently when deciding where to create focal points in certain areas. Those who like to sit out on their deck might want to add shrubs and flowers around it before worrying about creating a vegetable garden.
As you add plantings in stages, make sure that each stage ends in a logical and natural fashion.
“You want to set the stages so you don’t end up with large undeveloped parts of the yard,” said Patrick Murphy, a landscape designer with Jayson Garden Design in Chicago.
If you can only afford to add trees in the backyard, carve out planting beds for shrubs and flowers at the same time. The unplanted areas can be covered with mulch to create a finished look.
Then, as the budget allows, you can add in shrubs and flowers to those already defined spaces.
As the landscaping plan evolves, it should include plantings that add color, texture and interest throughout each season.
“You may want flowering bulbs in the spring, then annuals and flowering shrubs in the summer,” Welter said. “In the fall, you’ll have ornamental grasses and evergreens and plants with fruits for berries and color.”
